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https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/working-provider/allied-health-providers/plan-reassessment-reports

Provider Reports

The NDIA uses evidence to inform decisions when allocating funding based on the reasonable and necessary criteria. Reports from providers are an important part of this evidence. These reports may be used to inform: capital equipment purchases, document progress towards goals, make recommendations about future supports or inform inclusions in a supported independent living (SIL) quotation.

If report writing is included within the scope of a funded support, this should be clearly stipulated in the Service Agreement and be claimed using the report writing claim type code REPW. If the NDIA requests a provider write a report, funding for this needs to be negotiated with the participant for time to be claimed.

When is report writing included in the scope of a funded support?

It is a reasonable expectation that providers of most capacity building supports report on supports delivered, progression towards or achievement of the participant’s goals as well as future recommendations. The Support Catalogue 19/20 provides an indication of which supports are in scope for NDIA reporting.  Support Coordinators are required to write reports and may request case notes from providers of core supports and other information such as critical incident reports. Level 3 and 4 assistive technology and home modifications are required to write reports. The NDIS Support Catalogue indicates when report writing is in and out of scope.

Why are provider reports important?

The structure of the report and its inclusions will impact funding decisions during the scheduled and unscheduled review process.

Reports should:

• Articulate the link between the participant’s goals, the support delivered, barriers and outcomes

• Clearly identify recommendations for ongoing needs, including both risks and benefits for the participant. Recommendations should consider informal, community, mainstream services and NDIS funded supports

• Be written in NDIS language

• Relate to the Objects of the NDIS Act and the Reasonable and Necessary criteria 

• Support Coordinators collect reports from providers to inform a participant’s plan review. They are also required to report on how Support Coordination has increased the participant’s capacity to understand and use their NDIS plan, connect to community and mainstream services, and to inform the need for Support Coordination in the future plan.

Outputs versus Outcomes

The NDIS requires that providers think about and document instances of support in terms of outcomes, not outputs. An output details an instance of support, for example, John went to the city and had a coffee. Whereas an outcome details the result of an activity and its impact, for example, John went out into the city today. He ordered his own coffee at the local coffee shop and paid for the drink himself. He needed prompting to wait to receive his change. Outcomes included, increasing money handling skills and the opportunity to develop social skills in his community.

Things to consider when collecting evidence and documenting outcomes

• Do your organisation’s systems and methods document outcomes and show progress towards participant goals?

• Are these documented in a systematic and objective way?

Use objective language and detail observations, subjective information does not constitute an outcome. Subject information might include personal feelings and opinions, for example:

• Claire felt that she had progressed towards her goals

• As Claire’s support worker, I think she is more social

• Claire had a good day and enjoyed the cooking class.

Objective language is factual and impartial, for example:

• Claire independently caught public transport and met her support worker at the coffee shop

• Claire approached the café assistant on her own and ordered her own coffee. She did not require assistance from the support worker to complete her order

• Claire followed instructions in cooking class and cooked her own meal.

The importance of language

Key NDIS phases relate to the language used in the Objects of the NDIS Act, NDIS Insurance Principles and the reasonable and necessary criteria.

Key phrases include:

• Increase social and community participation

• Sustain informal supports/strengthen sustainability of informal supports

• Increase choice and control/self-determination

• Improve health and wellbeing/support and maintain well being

• Live as autonomously as possible

• Maintain home environment

• Maintain support relationship

• Daily living skills

• Increase economic participation

• Independent living skills (e.g. cooking, cleaning, money management)

• Live as autonomously as possible

• Increase independence to

• Build capacity to.

Things to consider when writing a report

Reports should be written in plain English using non-specialist language. Write so it can be easily understood by the participant, their informal supports and planners. Do not assume the NDIA or LAC planners will have specialist backgrounds. Reports need to describe the positive or negative impact of service/support/equipment on the person’s ability to live an ordinary life in language which is understandable to anyone.

Also consider the following:

• Is the report written in plain English using NDIS language/key phrases, and does it focus on functional impact of the support on the participant’s life?

• Do you have evidence to support your report (case notes, rosters, assessments, etc.)?

• Does your report justify how funds have been spent, mapping incremental targets and achievements with each instance of support?

• If progress towards the participant’s goals has been slow or difficult to achieve, you should describe why. For example: difficulty securing housing, incarceration, time spent in hospital etc.

• Are the report recommendations at the forefront of the document?

• Does the report use NDIS insurance principles, listed in section 4.3 of the NDIS Operational Guidelines to address reasonable and necessary and takes a lifetime approach to minimise support costs over a participant's lifetime through an early intervention approach?

Additional Resources:

• 10 Steps to excellent NDIS Therapy Reports: VALID’s guide to NDIS therapist reports for allied health professionals

• Getting the Language Right: A Health Practitioners’ Guide to Writing Reports,

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